Absorbent paper products such as paper towels, facial tissues and other similar products are designed to include several important properties. For example, the products should have good bulk, a soft feel and should be highly absorbent. The product should also have good strength even while wet and should resist tearing. Unfortunately, it is very difficult to produce a high strength paper product that is also soft and highly absorbent. Usually, when steps are taken to increase one property of the product, other characteristics of the product are adversely affected. For instance, softness is typically increased by decreasing or reducing fiber bonding within the paper product. Inhibiting or reducing fiber bonding, however, adversely affects the strength of the paper web.
One particular process that has proved to be very successful in producing paper towels and wipers is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,879,257 to Gentile, et al., which is incorporated by reference to the extent that it is non-contradictory therewith. In Gentile, et al., a process is disclosed in which a bonding material is applied in a fine, spaced apart pattern to one side of a fibrous web. The web is then adhered to a heated creping surface and creped from the surface. A bonding material is applied to the opposite side of the web and the web is similarly creped. The process disclosed in Gentile, et al. produces wiper products having exceptional bulk, outstanding softness and good absorbency. The surface regions of the web also provide excellent strength, abrasion resistance, and wipe-dry properties.
Although the process and products disclosed in Gentile, et al. have provided many advances in the art of making paper wiping products, further improvements in various aspects of paper wiping products remain desired. For instance, the process disclosed in Gentile, et al. can have high energy requirements in producing products, since the creping surfaces are normally heated. Thus, although the products produced by the process disclosed in Gentile, et al. have improved properties, a need exists for a more cost effective way to produce products having similar characteristics.
The products produced in Gentile, et al. are also compressed when applied to the heated creping surfaces. By compressing the paper web, some loss in bulk is experienced. As such, a need also exists for a process for producing paper products having characteristics and properties similar to those disclosed in Gentile et al., without deleterious compressive steps.